1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to front end structures for automobiles and particularly relates to a front end structure for an automobile including a resin-made shroud panel supporting a heat exchanger, such as a radiator or the like.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventionally, there has been known an automobile front end structure using a resin-made shroud panel for supporting a heat exchanger, such as a radiator or the like. This front end structure enables the automobile front end part to be a module (a unit) to increase the workability of vehicle assembling and is therefore employed in various automobiles recently.
However, the resin-made shroud panel, which has insufficient rigidity, may support a bonnet and the like insufficiently.
To tackle this problem, a metal-made reinforcing member is integrally formed with an upper member extending in the car width direction in the upper part of the shroud panel to obtain a resin-made shroud panel of which upper part has rigidity equivalent to a metal-made one, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,216,810.
The upper part of such the shroud panel is fastened and fixed to apron rein members above the engine compartment, so that an impact load from the front at head-on collision of the automobile is transmitted from the shroud panel to the apron rein members to thus be distributed, thereby enhancing the safety performance at collision of the automobile.
Recently, in association with growing demand for large compartments and large engines, the space in the engine compartment is decreasing. Accordingly, it is a trend to forward layout of the heat exchanger supported by the shroud panel.
On the other hand, there is a demand for increased safety in automobile maneuver by shortening the front over hang of the automobiles as far as possible, with a result that the front bumper is arranged more rearward.
Under the above circumstances, recently, there are an increased number of automobiles employing a layout structure in which the heat exchanger is arranged immediately behind the front bumper.
In the case where such the layout structure is employed, however, rearward arrangement of the front bumper leads to immediate breakage of the heat exchanger even at light collision, thereby necessitating replacement with a new heat exchanger, which is expensive, to lead to an increase in repair cost.
To solve this problem, a structure may be employed in which the supporting rigidity of the shroud panel is lowered so that the shroud panel is allowed to retreat as a whole at light collision together with the front bumper.
Employment of this structure, however, inhibits the impact load at heavy collision from being distributed and transmitted from the shroud panel to the car body members, such as the apron rein members, and the like. This presents a new problem of lowering of the safety performance at collision of the automobile.